Spartan Race at Simonds Stadium

I'm a Melbourne girl, born and bred, and new resident of Geelong. Fantabulous adventures await as I explore my gorgeous new city and the stunning Surf Coast. But don’t worry—I’ll be crossing the bridge regularly to get my Melbourne fix.

Event: 05/12/2015

Get fired up for the Simonds Stadium Sprint

Obstacle racing has taken Australia by storm over the past few years, and the popularity of these events is growing faster than you can drag a concrete block through a mud pit. Spartan Race is one of the world's largest obstacle racing series, with races taking you from Singapore to Seattle to Spain. Spartan Race was launched in Australia in 2012, and is about to hit our local Geelong shores with a vengeance. Get ready Geelongites, for Spartan racing will be here on 5 December 2015.

The Simonds Stadium Sprint will see Geelong's beloved stadium completely converted into a world-class obstacle race, with the 6km course featuring obstacles and challenges that have not yet been seen before.

There'll be no mud at this obstacle race, but never fear—there'll be plenty of water to make sure you get wet, and some tough obstacles to make you sweat it out as you tramp through the stadium. Around 15 obstacles will be incorporated into the course, and there's less running than in a standard obstacle race. But that doesn't mean it's easier—oh no, this race is in a stadium…which means stairs. LOTS of stairs…and ropes and climbing walls and things to jump on and jump over, to push you and pull you, to challenge you and change you.

And for those who really want an extra challenge, The 300 will push you even further. The 300 is a race within a race, featuring 12-15 ninja-style obstacles in the last 300 metres of the course. The obstacles will flow on from one to the next, with cash and prizes awarded to the fastest three male and female competitors to finish.

In keeping with Spartan Race's mission to get everyone out and active and achieving goals they never thought possible, the Simonds Stadium Sprint also features a Spartan Kids Race. For kids aged 4 to 12, it will include a whole bunch of fun, kid-friendly obstacles, for your little warrior in the making.

For those who perhaps aren't quite ready to take on the challenge themselves, but are keen to see what this obstacle course racing stuff is all about, spectators are of course welcome (bring your own pom poms and cow bells to cheer the participants on), and you can register in advance online. Want to get involved a little more, but prefer to stay (almost) clean and dry? Volunteers are an essential part of every Spartan race, so sign yourself up here if you want to join the fun.

Team entries are also available, so grab a bunch of your mates together and enter as a group—of course, you'll need to make sure you sort out a team name and matching race outfits (not mandatory, but certainly adds to the fun and camaraderie don't you think?). Spartan Race also offers corporate packages to foster personal development and teamwork, which can include pre-race training sessions with certified coaches, corporate tents on race day and food and beverage packages (sounds a whole lot more exciting than a boring old team building session at the yearly planning conference doesn't it?).

The fun all begins at 7am on race day, with participants starting every five minutes in waves of 60 at a time, reducing the amount of bottlenecks out on the course. You can request a particular wave time when completing your online entry form, and Spartan Race organisers will do their best to accommodate your request. Your entry fee also includes access to the festivities all day, coconut water at the finish line as well as a pretty snappy Finishers Medal to boast about at work on Monday.

And what else does this race include? A whole lot of fun, laughter, perhaps a few tears, a lot of sweat, maybe a bruise or two…but more importantly, you'll feel accomplished, challenged, stronger, more empowered. And you'll also have been part of history—traipsing all over Simonds Stadium with a whole heap of your best buddies? How cool is that?!

The Spartan Stadium Series includes races in Sydney and Brisbane, so let's show our northern neighbours what Geelong is made of, and sign up now to be a part of this crazy event. Check out the website for more details and to register—but hurry, as entries are filling fast.